What is it about the Stag and Yule? Three traditional Midwinter's carols about stags from all over Europe, as charming as they are mysterious.

 

Nine-Tined Stag

Nine-tined stag a-running came

(Kalado, nine-tined stag)

came and into water gazed,

gazed and counted tines.

 

—Nine fine tines upon my brow,

a little twig makes ten.

On that twig, smiths hammering:

hammer, smiths, and forge!

 

Forge for me, my brother smiths

a little golden cup:

a golden cup for water

to sprinkle the green, green rue.

Latvian

 

Kalado: Traditional refrain of Midwinter carols

 

 

Boy Stag of Wonder

Boy stag of wonder

(horns of a thousand

branches and tines

a thousand bright candles)

 

bears in his antlers

the light of the sun

on his brow a star

on his breast the moon

 

courses the banks of the shining

heavenly Danube

blue stag, bearer of news

what news?

Hungarian

 

Carol of the Stag

A stag stood singing in the forest

tra-la-lay, O come

Hunters heard and went to find him

tra-la-lay, O come

High on a mountain they found him singing

tra-la-lay, O come

Spare my life, O do not kill me

tra-la-lay, O come

I am never the night of nights

tra-la-lay, O come

I am chief to every shepherd

tra-la-lay, O come

Chief to ewes on every mountain

tra-la-lay, o come

Every single white-capped mountain

tra-la-lay, O come

 

Cintecul Cerbului, “Song of the Stag”

Romanian

 

Translated by Steven Posch © 2010